This invention is concerned with floor mounted doorstops of the type which keep a door from closing.
Doorstops of the type which keep a door ajar exist in the art. A simple weight placed in the path of the closing door or a wedge interposed between the bottom of the door and the floor, are the classic types of doorstops and have been used since antiquity. An eyebolt attached to a door with a mating hook attached to the floor (or vice versa) to engage the eyebolt when the door is in the open position is another way doors are kept open in the art. The problem with these devices is that the user must usually stoop or use his foot in an awkward manner to set the door in the ajar position or to remove the stop to shut the door. Also, these devices if used in commercial buildings on door intended to be fire partitions, violate the applicable codes.
The issued patents with respect to doorstops fall into two main types, those intended to keep a door ajar and those intended to prevent forced entry by limiting the amount that the door may be opened. U.S. Pat. No. 5,123,685 is an example of a device which falls into the former category. U.S. Pat. No. 5,120,093 is an example of the plurality of floor mounted doorstops that exist in the art. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,018241 and 3,805,322 are examples of foot operated doorstops. U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,201 shows a doorstop of the type designed to retain a door in the open position by retaining the door between an abutment and a stopping portion. U.S. Pat. No. 1,936,232 shows a self catching doorstop which is released by one's foot. U.S. Pat. No. 2,189,274 shows a self catching doorstop which swivels into position to trap a door against closing. Each of these devices has particular problems which must be overcome for an effective and easy to use doorstop.
What is needed is a doorstop which is mounted flush with the floor, of the type which keeps a door open, sets itself automatically upon opening the door, and is released by a simple step of the foot without a twisting motion, at a sufficient distance from the door so that one's shoe does not scuff the door. Easy removal of the doorstop from its mounting for cleaning purposes and adaptability to automatic release of the door by a fire signaling system are also needs.